


(ephemeral)

by klari19



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Bittersweet, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, post-GBFAS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 22:44:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12467612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klari19/pseuds/klari19
Summary: e·phem·er·aladjectivelasting for a very short time; usually missed





	(ephemeral)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [desastrista](https://archiveofourown.org/users/desastrista/gifts).



> This was commissioned by Desa! (My very first commission!! Thank you! /cries a lot) She specifically asked for "aimeric/jord, anything with fluff!" and I did my best to deliver, but naturally.... it drifted into something a bit more bittersweet towards the end. But I still tried to make it as fluffy as possible!! Because these two really need it!!! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope it's enjoyable.

Night came, and quiet chatter rose at each end of the camp. The day had been another long and laborious one for the soldiers to get through, what with the Prince’s already merciless drills seeming to gain in difficulty as time passed. Amidst the suppressed groans of pain, they were all trying to enjoy the wine and conversations by the fire before passing out from exhaustion in their tents--or continuing to wear themselves out under the sheets with someone else. 

There was a reason, Jord knew, for the Prince to demand so much of his soldiers. War was imminent, that much he had understood from the maps laid out on the table in the command tent. They had to be ready for anything, anytime. And that meant having to quickly mold every man in the party into a competent soldier as fast as possible, forcing years of lost training into them in only a few weeks’ time. 

But at night, when the day-long shouts and cries gave way to relative quietness and the space around them was covered by the thick mantle of darkness, it felt as if everything was alright. All their worries were pushed to the side and it felt as if, in the end, preparing for war was futile. 

Jord shook his head. He knew it wasn’t that way. The Regent was still in power after all, and their campaign felt more like a test of survival rather than a mere princely task. And while the Prince and the Akielon seemed to be plotting  _ something _ , Jord knew that no matter the outcome they would all have it rough. 

He took a swig from his flask and groaned. 

The air shifted at his side. There was a sigh, and as Aimeric sat down beside him all previous thoughts were quickly expelled from his tired mind. Jord turned to look at the boy, the crease between his brows softening at the sight of Aimeric’s unruly brown curls.

“Captain,” said Aimeric, a small smile on his lips.

“Soldier,” replied Jord, nodding his head as he kept his eyes on Aimeric’s.

An easy companionship had grown between them over time, ever since Aimeric had helped him decipher the map in the Prince’s tent and had prompted Jord to discover the hills and valleys of his own body. Jord’s ears still got incredibly warm whenever he recalled about that particular time, and then about the other--scarce--moments he had shared with Aimeric in private.

Around them, the soldiers chatted and drank and laughed together. Aimeric’s comments were now actively listened to rather than instantly dismissed, and Jord found himself enjoying every second of these easy conversations.  _ Good camaraderie will keep us sane _ , he thought.

Jord wasn’t sure how it happened, but when he realized it the length of Aimeric’s thigh was pressed against his own and the boy’s hand was twitching where it lay on his knee, mere centimeters away from Jord’s own. Looking at Aimeric beside him, Jord was met with an intense, inviting gaze, and in that moment he was acutely aware of the soldiers around them. None of them was paying any mind to what was happening in their little bubble, but most of them were close enough to figure it out if they turned to look long enough. The breath caught in Jord’s throat as Aimeric’s magnetic gaze seemed to draw him closer.

_ Want you _ , mouthed Aimeric. Jord’s heart skipped a beat and he coughed. Aimeric stood up immediately and said, “Permission to retire for the night, captain.”

Jord swallowed. “Granted,” he said, and tried to convince himself the hoarseness of his voice was caused by the drink and the long day spent shouting commands

“Enjoy your beauty sleep!” said Orlant from the other side of the fire. The other soldiers roared with laughter.

“Oh, I will,” said Aimeric as he walked away from the ring of light. Jord kept himself from turning to look at him and coughed once more, shifting where he sat to cross his legs.

\----------------

Jord’s agitation wasn’t appeased even as he took his time to reach Aimeric’s tent. He had remained with the soldiers for around an hour more before taking his leave, and had taken a longer detour into the maze of the camp. It was all to no avail: he was far from being calm and now he knew Aimeric would be irritated.

“Fuck, what took you so long,” muttered Aimeric, urgently pressing his lips and body against Jord’s as soon as the latter stepped into the small tent.

Jord couldn’t answer: Aimeric’s mouth was sucking out every breath he had. He gave himself over to the boy, letting himself be guided backwards until the backs of his knees bumped against the edge of the bed, letting himself be pushed down to sit on it, letting Aimeric straddle his thighs and rub against him.

“Aimeric,” whispered Jord, shakily. He looked into Aimeric’s bright eyes and saw his own desire mirrored in them. Saw Aimeric lick his lips and couldn’t help but press his mouth to his, to the edge of his grin, and finally to his neck. Pulling the white shirt from where it was tucked inside Aimeric’s trousers, Jord’s fingers began their journey up the sides of the boy’s frame. But when he reached his ribs--

_ Hiss. _

Jord’s fingers stilled, and he pulled his mouth off of Aimeric’s skin. “What’s wrong?” he asked, searching Aimeric’s eyes. It was a difficult thing to do as Aimeric was intent on avoiding his gaze.

“Nothing,” said Aimeric. Too sharp, too quick.

Even though he was tired and the least he wanted was to argue with Aimeric, Jord said, “Do you really expect me to believe that?”

“It’s  _ nothing _ ,” insisted Aimeric, impatient. “Come on, I want to fuck.” He tried rocking his hips but Jord was quick to keep him from moving with strong hands gripping his waist tightly.

“I want you, too--” Jord sighed. “--But if you’re hurt I need to know. I don’t want to cause you any pain.”

In the silence that followed, Jord watched Aimeric worry at his lower lip and bite the inside of his cheek, as if he was trying to keep words inside his mouth. ‘Words’ in the general sense, for Jord didn’t know if they were explanations or objections. Knowing Aimeric, it was possibly the latter.

Finally, Aimeric began removing his shirt. The muttered complaints of “ _ Annoying _ ” and “ _ Fuck’s sake _ ” were barely muffled by the thin fabric when he passed it over his head. His breath hitched when his arms stretched upwards, and Jord saw him still for a short moment before he managed to completely free himself from the garment.

Jord shouldn’t have been surprised by what he saw, but there were so many rough scrapings from the friction of the armor against his delicate skin and the bruises looked so awful he couldn’t help but feel it like a punch in the gut. There were only a few of the latter, but they were so dark and some so swollen it looked like Aimeric had fallen down a rocky cliff. Multiple times. On purpose.

“I’ve been training harder,” was what Aimeric gave as explanation.

Jord’s fingers hovered over the beaten up flesh, close but not touching. “But you shouldn’t--” he breathed out, “Like this, you  _ can’t _ \--”

“ _ I have to _ ,” hissed Aimeric, and when Jord looked up into his eyes he found that fierce determination that first made him fall for the boy. He sighed as Aimeric added, lowly, “The Prince won’t have it any other way.”

That was true, Jord reckoned. But still. “Paschal should take a look at you, just in case--”

“Paschal can go suck a cock,” muttered Aimeric, eyes trained onto a spot somewhere beyond Jord’s shoulder.

Jord knew he didn’t mean that, not really. Aimeric was just too proud to ask for anything, especially for help. Too proud to let others see him when he was at his lowest. It was both a strength and a weakness of his, and right now it was just a little unnerving for Jord to see him be so childish and stubborn. 

Gently pushing Aimeric off his lap and sitting him down next to himself on the bed, Jord said, “I’ll be back in a moment.” He stood up and walked out of the tent before Aimeric could say otherwise.

\----------------

This time, it didn’t take too long for Jord to come back with a small first-aid pack provided by Paschal. (Of course, the physician didn’t forget to advise him to come to the medical tent so he could see the injuries himself.) He knelt down quietly in front of a bitter Aimeric and spread out the contents of the pack over the bed, but the first thing he used was the damp cloth that was slung over his shoulder. 

Aimeric let himself be toweled down, gasping and hissing under his breath whenever Jord accidentally pressed too hard on a bruise even though he was being as careful as he could. When Jord was done, the cloth was slightly pink. All the dried blood had been wiped off the boy’s body and his pale skin was finally clean. Or, cleaner than it had previously been. To finish the process, Jord applied the healing ointment Paschal had told him to use on the open wounds, his fingers gentle over Aimeric’s torn skin.

“Wish you were touching me differently,” muttered Aimeric, sour, as he watched Jord work.

Jord felt himself pink, and said, “Maybe later.” Aimeric huffed in reply.

Next, Jord scooped with his fingers some of the cream Pachal had said would help with the bruises. It was thick and oily, and he worked it between the pads of his fingers to warm it up and soften it. He made the mistake of looking up into Aimeric’s eyes when he moved to spread it over the boy’s side, and caught him looking down with narrowed eyes and a suggestive grin.

“Is that--”

“No,” Jord interrupted before he could finish, stern. Aimeric bit his lip and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “ _ He’s got a stick up his ass but still nothing inside mine. _ ” Jord ignored him in favor of continuing to treat the injuries as best he could.

As he spread the last of the cream over Aimeric’s bruised sides, Jord couldn’t help but let his fingers linger over the smooth skin for a moment longer. Aimeric didn’t notice what he was doing until Jord slowly leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to the center of the boy’s bare chest. 

“Take care of yourself, or you won’t have a working body left after this is over,” Jord murmured, his words muffled by Aimeric’s skin.  _ This _ , the war, or whatever would happen. It remained untold between the two of them, but both knew what he meant.

He didn’t see how Aimeric’s eyes turned to the side. Didn’t see how his Adam’s apple bobbed when the boy swallowed thickly. “Yeah, yeah,” replied Aimeric, quick. Then he added, “But I already have you to do that for me.”

Jord let out a small laugh, his breath hot over Aimeric’s skin and making him shiver. Smiling, he said, “True.” 

He wrapped Aimeric’s chest in gauze so that the ointments wouldn’t rub off while he slept, and when he was done he stood up and sat down next to Aimeric 

“I’m always here for you,” whispered Jord, pressing closer and brushing his thumb over Aimeric’s cheek, leaning to kissing him on the mouth. His entire face was unbearably warm, from what he was saying and doing, but there was something about Aimeric… Something that made his heart feel big and brave. “Whenever you need me, just say it.”

Jord knew he would fumble his words and combust before he could ever finish trying to express his feelings into words. Which was what had almost happened the night Aimeric had told him those words that changed everything. “ _ I think about you… _ ” The boy was good with his mouth, in many ways, and Jord wish he could be like him. For the moment, though--

He settled with a kiss on Aimeric’s lips. And then another one as he pressed even closer and gently pushed Aimeric to lie down on the bed. The boy whimpered into his mouth, making heat course down Jord’s spine. Then, when Aimeric was spread out underneath Jord in all his youthful glory, he gently touched his fingertips to his naked chest and felt Aimeric tremble.

“Right now, I need you to touch me,” Aimeric urged in a strained whisper. And Jord did.

\----------------

Later, when they were lying down close to each other, sweaty and boneless, with Aimeric’s head tucked under Jord’s chin, Jord thought about the impending war again. Without realizing it, he drew the boy closer to himself, his arms tightening ever so slightly around his back. 

Aimeric hummed softly and snuggled closer. “What’s on your mind?” he asked drowsily.

Jord took a moment to gather his thoughts, then said, “You.” Soft. “How much you mean to me, how much I like being with you, how much I don’t deserve you.”

“I’m not anyone spe--”

“Shhh,” interrupted Jord, gently. “You are to me. And I wish the circumstances were different so we could…” His lips stopped moving; he couldn’t continue. Things were as they were, and it was pointless to wish they were different. Jord knew that, but he still hoped foolishly.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Aimeric after a moment. “I want to feel and experience what is, not what could be. There’s no time to waste on what ifs when we, as soldiers, could die tomorrow. We’re here right here and right now, so let’s make it last as much as we can. That’s what I think.” He seemed to notice it wasn’t usual for him to explain himself at length, so he stopped himself with a soft grumble.

Jord’s chest tightened and he clenched his teeth. As much as it hurt to admit, Aimeric was right. If the Prince’s predictions were to become truth and they had to fight a war, the chances of them surviving this campaign would lessen by a lot. If either or both of them died before all this was over…

“Stop. Stop worrying,” whispered Aimeric. “I said I wanted to make it last, and I meant it. So stop thinking and kiss me.” He pressed his lips to Jord’s neck, as if to show him what he wanted him to do.

Jord exhaled and felt his lips pull up into a small smile despite himself. He looked down at Aimeric, into those bright green eyes that still made his breath catch in his throat. “Right here, right now,” he repeated the boy’s words before closing the distance between them and pressing a tender kiss to Aimeric’s soft lips. 

**Author's Note:**

> im not saying that you SHOULDNT think about what happens later in the main story but thats exactly what im saying abort abort ab


End file.
